Graham John Virgo is an English legal academic, barrister and university administrator. He is Senior Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Professor of English Private Law at the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

. Frequently cited in the English courts and those of other common law jurisdictions, he is known for his contributions to the law of restitution and the teaching of law.

Education

Virgo completed his secondary education at a

comprehensive school A comprehensive school typically describes a secondary school for pupils aged approximately 11–18, that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude, in contrast to a selective school system where admission is re ...

in the

Midlands The Midlands (also referred to as Central England) are a part of England that broadly correspond to the Mercia, Kingdom of Mercia of the Early Middle Ages, bordered by Wales, Northern England and Southern England. The Midlands were important in ...

. In 1983, he applied to read law at Downing College, Cambridge, where he was interviewed by Charles Harpum, John Hopkins, and David Lloyd Jones. Later, Hopkins suggested that Virgo consider Coward Chance (which in 1987 merged with Clifford Turner to form

Clifford Chance Clifford Chance LLP is an international law firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom, and a member of the "Magic Circle", a group of London-based multinational law firms. It ranks as one of top ten largest law firms in the world measured b ...

) as a firm to work for. Virgo graduated from

Downing College, Cambridge Downing College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge and currently has around 650 students. Founded in 1800, it was the only college to be added to Cambridge University between 1596 and 1869, and is often described as the olde ...

in 1987 with

first-class honours The British undergraduate degree classification system is a grading structure for undergraduate degrees or bachelor's degrees and integrated master's degrees in the United Kingdom. The system has been applied (sometimes with significant variati ...

. The following year, he graduated at the top of his class from

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...

with a

BCL degree, and winning the

Vinerian Scholarship The Vinerian Scholarship is a scholarship given to the University of Oxford student who "gives the best performance in the examination for the degree of Bachelor of Civil Law". Currently, £2,500 is given to the winner of the scholarship, with an ...

. Upon graduation, Virgo decided on a career at the Bar, but while at Bar school, he received a letter from Hopkins suggesting that he return to Downing College to teach, which he accepted.

Career

As an academic

In 2003, Virgo was promoted to Reader in Law. In 2007, he was appointed to a personal Professorship of English Private Law at the University of Cambridge. In 2008, he was elected an Academic Bencher at

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of the four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. (The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn.) Lincoln ...

. In 2012, he was appointed Deputy Chair of the

Faculty of Law, University of Cambridge The Faculty of Law, Cambridge is the law school of the University of Cambridge. The study of law at the University of Cambridge began in the thirteenth century. The faculty sits the oldest law professorship in the English-speaking world, the ...

. He stepped down from this role in 2014. Virgo's research interests are in criminal law, restitution, the law of contract, equity and trusts. He described the decision of the

Supreme Court of the United Kingdom The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom (initialism: UKSC or the acronym: SCOTUK) is the final court of appeal in the United Kingdom for all civil cases, and for criminal cases originating in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. As the Unite ...

in ''Bank of Cyprus UK Ltd v Menelaou'' as "the worst decision in the history of the Supreme Court, betraying such ignorance of the law and legal principle and such confusion about the nature of judging", prompting Lord Neuberger, who had delivered the leading judgment, to lament the article as "over-the top" in his retirement lecture at Oxford. In 2009, he delivered a paper at the

Law Society of England and Wales The Law Society of England and Wales (officially The Law Society) is the professional association that represents solicitors for the jurisdiction of England and Wales. It provides services and support to practising and training solicitors, a ...

titled ''The Law of Unjust Enrichment in the House of Lords: Judging the Judges''. Virgo is credited with contributions to the growing law of restitution in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and Nor ...

. In 2014, he was the Miegunyah Distinguished Visiting Law Fellow at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb no ...

law school. Virgo was the New Zealand Law Foundation's Distinguished Visiting Fellow in 2016, during which he gave lectures at various universities including the

University of Auckland , mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work , established = 1883; years ago , endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021) , budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021) , chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant , vice_chancellor = Dawn ...

University of Canterbury The University of Canterbury ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was ...

University of Otago , image_name = University of Otago Registry Building2.jpg , image_size = , caption = University clock tower , motto = la, Sapere aude , mottoeng = Dare to be wise , established = 1869; 152 years ago , type = Public research collegiate u ...

and

University of Waikato , mottoeng = For The People , established = 1964; years ago , endowment = (31 December 2021) , budget = NZD $263.6 million (31 December 2020) , chancellor = Sir Anand Satyanand, GNZM, QSO, KStJ , vice_chancellor = Neil Quigley , ci ...

. In 2017, he was appointed Queen's counsel (honoris causa) in recognition of his work in restitution. In 2019, he was the Jones Day Visiting Professor in Commercial Law at

Singapore Management University The Singapore Management University (SMU) is a public autonomous university in Singapore. The university is the only city campus in Singapore. It ranks third in Asia as a specialist university, behind Hong Kong University of Science and Techn ...

. His work has been frequently cited in the English courts, including in the

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

, and has shaped the direction of the law of unjust enrichment, mistake, and other related areas of restitution.

As a teacher and Tutor at Downing College

Virgo has described his teaching and pastoral style as being influenced by his former Tutor, John Hopkins. In particular, he describes having learnt how to interview, supervise, and develop a genuine fondness for his students from him. In 2002, he was awarded the ''Pilkington Prize'' from the

in recognition of outstanding teaching in Law. On 1 April 2003, he was appointed Senior Tutor of Downing College, a role which gave him responsibility over both educational matters and the overall well-being of the students at the College. He stayed in this role until 2013. When he stepped down as Senior Tutor, he described the students of Downing College as having made his time as Senior Tutor "the happiest of islife". In 2004, he was appointed Director of Studies for Law at Downing College. He stepped down as Director of Studies in 2014. In 2013, Virgo engaged in a debate with

Lord Sumption Jonathan Philip Chadwick Sumption, Lord Sumption, (born 9 December 1948), is a British author, medieval historian and former senior judge who sat on the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom between 2012 and 2018. Sumption was sworn in as a Jus ...

at the

on the topic "Those Who Wish to Practise Law Should Not Study Law at University", arguing against the motion. That year, Virgo was also a finalist for both the OUP Law Teacher of the Year and the LawCareers.net Law Teacher of the Year Award. In 2017, when he was appointed Queen's counsel (honoris causa), the announcement celebrated his "significant contribution to the teaching of law." On 30 November 2022 Downing College announced that Virgo would succeed Alan Bookbinder as Master of the College on 1 October 2023.

As a university administrator

He was appointed Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Education in 2014, with responsibility for developing education policy and strategy for the University. Virgo has addressed problems of sexual misconduct within the

and suggested that the

University A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...

may phase out the traditional academic 1st/2.i/2.ii/3rd system with a US-style

GPA Grading in education is the process of applying standardized measurements for varying levels of achievements in a course. Grades can be assigned as letters (usually A through F), as a range (for example, 1 to 6), as a percentage, or as a numbe ...

system in an attempt to stem grade inflation. In 2019, Virgo was criticised after he was reported to have said that the lack of Afro-Caribbean hairdressers in Cambridge led to fewer black students to apply to the University, although he later said his remarks had been misunderstood. In 2021, Virgo was criticized by Professor

David Abulafia David Abulafia (born 12 December 1949) is an English historian with a particular interest in Italy, Spain and the rest of the Mediterranean during the Middle Ages and Renaissance. He spent most of his career at the University of Cambridge, ris ...

, emeritus professor of Mediterranean history at the University of Cambridge, for his support of the "Report+Support" university reporting system, which allowed users to anonymously report members of the University for 'micro-aggressions' before it was withdrawn by the University.

Personal life

He is keenly interested in drama and is the Vice-Chair of the dramatic society the Gamlingay Players. Virgo is married to the Rev Dr Carolyn Hammond, Director of Studies in Theology and Dean of

Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge Gonville and Caius College, often referred to simply as Caius ( ), is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1348, it is the fourth-oldest of the University of Cambridge's 31 colleges and one of th ...

. He has two children, Elizabeth and Jonathan.

Selected publications

* Graham Virgo, ''The Principles of Equity and Trusts'' (2012) * Graham Virgo and Paul Davies, ''Equity & Trusts: Cases and Materials'' (2013) * Graham Virgo, ''The Principles of the Law of Restitution'' (3rd ed, 2015)

References

External links

Cambridge profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Virgo, Graham Living people English legal scholars English legal writers Legal scholars of the University of Cambridge Alumni of Downing College, Cambridge Fellows of Downing College, Cambridge Academics of the University of Cambridge Honorary King's Counsel 1966 births